Potato chips’ status as Australia’s favourite snack food has remained unchallenged, with 42 per cent of the population (8.2 million people) tucking in throughout a seven day period.
The latest findings, collated by Roy Morgan Research, reveal that this is a one per cent increase from last year’s figure.
They also suggest that chip consumption is directly correlated with soft drink intake, with 62 per cent of chip eaters indulging in the beverages, well above the national average of 48 per cent.
Andrew Price, GM-consumer products, Roy Morgan Research, suggests that despite companies producing diet categories of these foods, the statistics take on an ominous undertone within the paradigm of Australia’s increasing obesity epidemic.
“The news that potato crisps are still Australia’s favourite snack, eaten by more than 8 million people in an average seven days, can be seen as somewhat concerning from a health perspective, especially when sugary soft drinks are also part of the dietary equation,” he said.
“While it’s true that snack-food brands have made the effort to introduce low-salt and/or diet variations to their product ranges, these have not proven as popular as the originals. In fact, our findings show that people who snack on crisps, corn chips and the like are less likely than the average Aussie to agree with health statements such as ‘I always think of the number of calories in the food I’m eating’, ‘A low-fat diet is a way of life for me’ and ‘I restrict how much I eat of fattening foods’”.
Interestingly, consumption of these salty snacks tapers off among the over 50s demographic, a diametric contrast to the Australians under 25 who are most likely to favour them. Price puts this down to older Australians being “at an age when one’s health inevitably becomes more of a preoccupation”.
He also calls on manufacturers to pay attention to the shifting discourse on health to ensure continued brand success.
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), July 2014 – June 2015 (n=19,436).
Potato chips’ status as Australia’s favourite snack food has remained unchallenged, with 42 per cent of the population (8.2 million people) tucking in throughout a seven day period.
